Customer inquiry: What category of tea does Oolong tea belong to? It seems somewhat similar to green tea, but many people say it isn’t green tea. My friends and I have discussed this for a long time without coming to a conclusion. So, what kind of tea is Oolong tea? Is it a type of green tea?
Chang-Hsing Tea: Hello. According to traditional Chinese tea classification, teas are divided into green tea, oolong (cyan) tea, black tea, white tea, yellow tea, and dark tea. Oolong tea is commonly known as cyan tea, which refers to partially fermented tea. From a classification standpoint, any partially fermented tea is considered Oolong tea.
In Taiwan, Oolong tea in a broad sense includes Pouchong tea, Dongding Oolong tea, high mountain tea, Oriental Beauty tea, Tieguanyin, and more. In a strict sense, Oolong tea specifically refers to semi-spherical teas like Dongding Oolong and high mountain tea. No matter how it is defined, these teas have a fermentation level between 15% and 80%, making them all semi-fermented teas.
▲ Oolong tea is a partially fermented tea, different from both black tea and green tea.
As for your question: “Is Oolong tea a green tea?” The answer is clearly no. Simply put, Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea, distinct from both green tea and black tea. Next time you pass by a tea shop, you might want to buy some green tea, black tea, and Oolong tea to try—you’ll undoubtedly find it easy to tell the differences between them.